He is the 21st player, but the first All Black, to be forced out of the tournament by injury.

Woodcock became a national hero by scoring the All Blacks’ only try in their 8-7 win over France in the 2011 World Cup final. He got his 10th test try in Friday’s win.

“New Zealanders should be very proud of him,” Hansen said on Twitter.

Woodcock’s first Test was in 2002 but his coming of age as an international force came two years later against France in Paris.

“We’d struggled to beat Wales in the previous test (26-25) and he’d come under quite a bit of flak. The next game was the French and he totally out-scrummed them and took a lot of heart out of that,” Hansen recalled.

“Woody just got better and better and he’s been a great player. He’s a very mobile footballer and a skilled rugby player.”

Woodcock, known as a humble man, buried any disappointment about the abrupt end to his career, according to Conrad Smith.

“You’d never know it from him – that’s the way it is. Even hearing him talking to his wife on the bus behind me (after the Test) he said ‘oh well, these things happen’.”

Crusaders prop Joe Moody has been called into the squad. Moody, 27, had been due to play for Canterbury province on Saturday but instead went to the airport to fly to England.

Woockcock’s departure will be a fresh blow to the All Blacks who won all their four Pool C matches but have sown doubts over whether they can become the first team to defend the title with some error-marked performances.

Rugby commentators consider Woodcock to be one of the best loosehead props of all time.

A serious shoulder injury had ruled Woodcock out of most of the 2014 season.

He returned this year but had limited playing time with the Auckland Blues because of further injury.